Results 121-140 of 232 for garda speaker:Thomas Pringle

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Garda Transport Provision (5 Mar 2020)

Thomas Pringle: 413. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if funding has been made available in 2020 for the purchase of additional Garda public order unit vans; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3501/20]

Perjury and Related Offences Bill 2018 [Seanad]: Second Stage (11 Dec 2019)

Thomas Pringle: ...currently treated as a common law offence and as such is deemed more difficult to prosecute. A ten-year jail sentence and a fine of up to €100,000 will, I hope, help to deter people, including gardaí, business people and State employees, from lying materially under oath, whether in court, at tribunals or during commissions of investigation. This legislation has been talked...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Access to Justice and Legal Costs: Discussion (Resumed) (11 Dec 2019)

Thomas Pringle: ...problem, in that the Department of Justice and Equality is not about justice and is not the right Department to deal with many of these matters. Perhaps it needs to be broken up and the law, the Garda and so on need to be kept separate from the civil legal aid system. The Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government has funded these advices and the Department of Justice and...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Legal Advice (20 Nov 2019)

Thomas Pringle: ...2005, Amnesty International stated, "In practice this provision has not been used, and victims are generally unaware of its existence." It is a failing in itself on the part of his Department, the Garda and the prosecution services that victims are unaware that this is available to them. Yes, it is very limited in that it is only available when the case has proceeded to prosecution, but...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Garda Transport Data (20 Nov 2019)

Thomas Pringle: 143. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of Garda cars and vans attached to each Garda district in the Donegal Garda division as of 31 December 2018 and 11 November 2019, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48059/19]

Select Committee on Justice and Equality: Criminal Records (Exchange of Information) Bill 2019: Committee Stage (20 Nov 2019)

Thomas Pringle: The Minister addressed a question I had regarding the operation of the Bill. If I understand him correctly, the Minister said that An Garda Síochána can request information in cases other than criminal cases. I am very worried because it appears that An Garda Síochána has been requesting and providing information across the board for a number of years without any legal...

Select Committee on Justice and Equality: Criminal Records (Exchange of Information) Bill 2019: Committee Stage (20 Nov 2019)

Thomas Pringle: To further explain what the Minister has said, anything the Garda has been doing has been okay and this Bill just puts it on a statutory footing. Surely one would first have to have a statutory framework to make it okay.

Inquiry into the death of Shane O’Farrell: Motion [Private Members] (12 Nov 2019)

Thomas Pringle: .... It has decided that it looks after the State or some such mad thing. I think the Department of Justice and Equality is the root of many problems in the State. We have had problems with the gardaí over many years which may be getting sorted out now by having dragged the Department of Justice and Equality, kicking and screaming, to making changes within An Garda Síochána....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Departmental Transformation Programme: Department of Justice and Equality (6 Nov 2019)

Thomas Pringle: ...that is what is involved. Perhaps Mr. O'Driscoll will consider this when looking at the progress of the Department's work. That raises concerns for me. Who are the customers in the case of An Garda Síochána?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Departmental Transformation Programme: Department of Justice and Equality (6 Nov 2019)

Thomas Pringle: ...the years that what has gone on in the Morris tribunal was evident all over the place and it seems to me there has been too close a linkage between the Department of Justice and Equality and the Garda. The Department seems to see itself and its role as some sort of guardian of the State. That will be a real problem for the Department in being open in the future so it will be interesting...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Bail Law (18 Sep 2019)

Thomas Pringle: 133. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if he has had contact with the Garda Commissioner on the objection of the State to bail in the case of persons (details supplied); his further plans to ensure that the relevant authorities examine the situation from a humanitarian position in view of their advanced years and the fact that the seizing of their passports has...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Garda Reform and Related Issues: Discussion (18 Sep 2019)

Thomas Pringle: ...head office, the less one will see and the less that will actually happen. That may not happen with this process, but my fear is that it will. In my part of County Donegal there are a number of Garda cars with more than 300,000 miles on the clock. That presents a difficulty. At weekends gardaí are left on their own in stations. We have no resources for training on how to deal...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Garda Reform and Related Issues: Discussion (18 Sep 2019)

Thomas Pringle: ...other members have asked them. There is no point in going over the same ground. The purpose of the questions was to give a sense of what the meeting would involve. I refer to training for gardaí. I understand they have been trained in bicycle use and patrolling, but have not been given any equipment or suitable clothing. This will not be available, I believe, until the end of...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Garda Reform and Related Issues: Discussion (18 Sep 2019)

Thomas Pringle: Whistleblowers should be facilitated and encouraged, and Garda management should be proactive in encouraging people to come forward about problems.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Garda Reform and Related Issues: Discussion (18 Sep 2019)

Thomas Pringle: The presentation referred to the increase in Garda numbers, which is welcome. Since 2017, 2,090 gardaí have been recruited and there will be a further 1,500 up to 2021. How many of these are additional gardaí? Some will retire in that period. What is the figure for the increase in Garda numbers?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Garda Reform and Related Issues: Discussion (18 Sep 2019)

Thomas Pringle: Mr. Harris is saying that achieving 800 additional Garda members means taking on between 1,600 and 1,700 recruits.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Garda Reform and Related Issues: Discussion (18 Sep 2019)

Thomas Pringle: The Garda needs to replace 320 just to stand still.

Gaming and Lotteries (Amendment) Bill 2019 [Seanad]: Second Stage (Resumed) (19 Jun 2019)

Thomas Pringle: ...in regulating gaming in the future. This leads me to my next issue with this Bill, which is section 4. This section is hugely problematic as it includes for the first time the involvement and expansion of powers of Garda superintendents, who will now have the authority to grant licences for gambling and gaming. How can this be the case when according to the industry’s own...

Offences against the State (Amendment) Act 1998 and Criminal Justice (Amendment) Act 2009: Motions (12 Jun 2019)

Thomas Pringle: ...under which people have been arrested. There is no need for a special court but we could argue about whether such a need exists to deal with paramilitary crimes. The real danger is how the Garda uses the Offences against the State Act as gardaí may not have any powers of arrest at all but use the Act because it is convenient. The legal practitioners will not challenge the Garda...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Garda Transport Provision (11 Jun 2019)

Thomas Pringle: 311. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if funding is available in 2019 to purchase extra Garda command and control vehicles; if so, when these vehicles will come into the fleet; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23271/19]